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IPFS News Link • Internet

We're Next: UK Copyright Lobby to Discuss National Internet Censorship

• boingboing.net
 
A group of UK copyright lobbyists held confidential, closed-door meetings with Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries to discuss a plan to allow industry groups to censor the Internet in the UK. The proposal has leaked, and it reveals a plan to establish "expert bodies" that would decide which websites British people were allowed to see, to be approved by a judge using a "streamlined" procedure. The procedure will allow for "swift" blocking in order to shut down streaming of live events. Public interest groups like the Open Rights Group asked to attend the meeting, but were shut out, presaging a regulatory process that's likely to be a lopsided, industry-centric affair that doesn't consider the public. The process is characterised as "voluntary," but the proposal makes reference to the Digital Economy Act, which allows for mandatory web-blocking (thanks to the action of LibDem Lords who submitted a proposal written by a record industry lobbyist as an amendment to the DEA).

1 Comments in Response to

Comment by PureTrust
Entered on:

Hey, we're used to the Internet, now... and we like it... so...

What is the # 1 big point about the Internet... technically speaking, now? It's the free dial-up. When I say free, think of how much you would pay in Long Distances charges if you connected via your LD carrier. Sure, you pay a little, now, for you Internet Service Provider. But you could do the same thing with your LD carrier if you only had the programming in your computer and knew the tricks.

The # 2 point is that there are some gigantic computers that house almost all the Internes "stuff" like websites and domains. But if you really want, you can house your website right on your computer at home. Or you can get yourself a bigger computer and house all the websites for everybody in your neighborhood. The only advantage that the big Internet computer centers has is the connection capacity. They can handle millions of connections (billions?) at the same time. Your home phone line may not allow enough bandwidth to do the job for you.

But, you see what I mean. We NEED true communication and decentralization between all of us who want to communicate over the Net. And we need it so that the Big Boys can't shut it down without shutting down all the Long Distance carriers at the same time.

And then, regarding what can be done with WiFi, they would have to shut down all radio to keep us from contacting each other... if we set ourselves up that way... with computer to computer WiFi.



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